How Trump failed in his latest bid to weaponize justice [View all]

(CNN) Here’s three things we know about Donald Trump.

He thirsts for revenge; he’ll stretch the limits of presidential power to enact it; and he never gives up after a defeat.

No wonder that six Democratic lawmakers, all military and intelligence veterans, are bracing for what comes next despite a grand jury refusing to indict them for warning service personnel against obeying illegal orders.
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The lawmakers’ warning to the troops that started the showdown came in the form of a social media video that tipped Trump into a rage. He lambasted the six as “traitors” guilty of “sedition at the highest levels” who should potentially be eligible for the death penalty. His bid for revenge was backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has launched an effort to lower Kelly’s last rank of captain and clip his retirement pay.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/politics/trump-pam-bondi-mark-kelly-justice-department-analysis?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc&recs_exp=up-next-article-end&tenant_id=related.en